Breakdown of Vorher war nirgendwo Platz, nachher finden wir bestimmt einen Tisch.
sein
to be
wir
we
der Tisch
the table
finden
to find
Questions & Answers about Vorher war nirgendwo Platz, nachher finden wir bestimmt einen Tisch.
What exactly do vorher and nachher mean, and how do they differ from danach, später, or hinterher?
- vorher = beforehand/earlier (relative to a previously mentioned or understood reference point).
- nachher = afterwards/later (often implies “a bit later,” commonly the same day).
- danach = after that (explicitly refers back to a specific event mentioned).
- später = later (more general, not tied to a specific prior event).
- hinterher = afterward/after it (often spatial or following someone/something).
In this sentence, vorher … nachher is a neat before–after pairing.
Why is it nachher finden wir and not nachher wir finden?
German main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) rule. If something other than the subject is in first position (here: nachher), the finite verb must come next, and the subject follows it: Nachher finden wir …. If the subject were first, you’d say Wir finden nachher ….
Why is the present tense (finden) used for a future meaning?
German very often uses the present tense to talk about the future when there’s a time expression like nachher, morgen, etc. You could use werden + infinitive, but it’s not required here.